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38 Responses to 5 WTF Facts About UFC Fighter Pay

DJuly 23, 2013

The WNBA is also dangerously close to not existing

SicwillJuly 24, 2013

Unlikely… The total salary cap for a Wnba team is less than 1 mil. The max salary for any given player is only $101,000. It literally costs nothing to operate, which is why David Stern keeps it going even with no one watching. Compare that to the NBA where Kobe is making 30 Mil a year and the Lakers and Nets spend over $100 mil in payroll every year. Kobe could literally pay the salaries of every player and probably coach too in the WNBA and still have money left over. They also just signed a 10 year deal with ESPN, which should guarantee most teams in the league making a profit. The league as a whole already does.

JoeyJuly 23, 2013

This is stupid.
fighters average more than 2 fights a year.
The lowest MMA fight gets paid more than the lowest Boxer.
boxers can get $500 for a fight. you only tell us what the highest grossing boxer makes. You also can’t factor in Pay-per view income the top earning stars make that info is not released. You don’t factor in medical / travel / bonuses / Other paid gigs for appearances & broadcasting. You seem biased… stop writing.

CoachJuly 24, 2013

I train both mma and boxers. Boxers make 3 times the amount that mma fighters make, and have double the length as far as the career. The average boxer, even a bum, makes 1000 to 1500 a fight there first 6 to 8 fights. They normally have that many fights the first year. MMA fighters nor boxers get paid for medical, both get paid for travel which unless they’re with a promoter is little to nothing. Boxing at this point gross way more then MMA, and it’s been around long enough that these fighters are not going to get punched in the face for peanuts. a 20 and 0 low to no name boxer middleweight or welter weight can get a 50 to 100 purse easy on a espn low end card. MMA is in need of some kind of union.

JoeyJuly 24, 2013

a Bum makes 1,500 high end u say… lowest ufc fighter? 6k to show 6k to win? something like that… thanks for proving me right sir

DickJuly 24, 2013

Joey, you have no idea what you’re talking about…at all. Not only have I fought in the UFC (28), but I also train with TJ Waldburg in Belton and I’m at Ft Hood with Colton Smith/ Tim Kennedy & Yves Edwards is right over in Austin, so I can PERSONALLY say that UFC pay is terrible. Entry fighters in the UFC make 2,000 these days. The ONLY way to make any kind of semi-decent dough is to get the knockout bonus or fight of the night purses. In other shows, I’ve been paid 10 times more…I fought in Bellator 21, LOST, and still made more than the UFC will pay you.

cralph709July 24, 2013

Just curious what your name is? I looked up the results to Bellator 21 and UFC 28 and didn’t see a fighter that fought on both cards. Sorry for asking- I’m just curious lol. I’m pretty fanatic when it comes to MMA history

KyleJuly 24, 2013

MMA fighters in smaller organizations make much less than 6k to show and 6k to win. You’re clearly still wrong here, sir.

IanJuly 24, 2013

Actually jimmy Hendrix made 14k from his last fight in which he won and the guy is the number one contender. Chris Weidman earn a lil over 20k plus the kotn bonus with win over Andersen who banked in 400k

AFO44December 27, 2013

And the ufc covers medical expenses that occur in the octagon.

JohnJuly 24, 2013

Are you insane? In Canada a club fighter boxing for a small promotion makes at least 800 – 1000 for the fight. That pay is win or lose. MMA fighters start at 400 to show and 400 to win. Top level boxers make so much more than MMA fighters. Mayweather makes 30 Million a fight..do your homework.

Mark A BrownFebruary 10, 2014

But we are talking the UFC that is the top tier in MMA
Not some regional promotion

Josh BoydJuly 23, 2013

Did you know that there are 34 regular season games in a WNBA season?
The WNBA is subsidized by the NBA and it is still failing…
The numbers shared above are ONLY “disclosed” amountS…
Pro golf is a much better sport to compare MMA to and the numbers are much closer despite golf also being much more global than the WNBA and having been around for a couple of hundred years. It is also much more comparable because it is an individual sport and the actual organization does the paying. NFL players do not get paid by the NFL, but UFC fighters get paid by the UFC and that makes a difference. Most pro golfers compete a lot more than 3-4 times per years and 90% of them subsidize their income with coaching and repping companies/products!

I mentioned this riff many times back in the early 2000 but I got the feeling I was made out to be an ass. Well now all of a sudden, I never stopped saying it in a good way, but now the fighters are speaking up. Now what real fighters thru the years have done is to refuse to fight until it was good for the fighter and still very good for the enterprise, and their future development. But you men better step up to the plate because they do not care about making a fool out of you either. Nice is nice, but Greed is GREED. GET SOME BUSINESS SAVVY GUYS. IT’s Your future in the long run. Refuse. As well as Agree. I really appreciate all the good times you have made for us! D.

MacJuly 23, 2013

Floyd Mayweather is his own promoter. He doesn’t go through Bob Arum or any other association. He throws his own shows.
The fact is, most boxers make jack shit.

Look, if you’re looking to make huge money, then win huge and become a huge draw. Anderson Silva made peanuts at one point too.

RDLCJuly 24, 2013

Silva was supposed to be the baddest mother they had. He’s made as of when they started keeping salary records around UFC 46 $23 Million….Total !

Still quite pathetic at that level of the sport.

GregJuly 24, 2013

Anderson Silva has made over 100 million for his fights between the UFC and his sponsors. I would hardly call that peanuts.

thats not showing how much of his % of each pay per view was. he had 2 or 3 of the highest selling pay per views
.

Whatever dudeJuly 24, 2013

I just think this goes to show what real sportsman the fighters truly are. They are willing to do whatever it takes just because they love the sport. They aren’t like all the lame sports pros (who only play with balls) that make millions just for playing a kids game. It’s sad how low the bank is for MMA fighters, but their heart is what proves that UFC, Bellator, Invicta and any MMA brand is the only true “Sport” left. Games and pads are for pussies, 4 oz gloves (and cups) are for real men and women.

The PatriotJuly 24, 2013

This is silly! Those figures are not what the fighters actually get paid. Every one of those fighters got more than what was disclosed…in many cases A LOT more. This UFC pay is a non-issue! Back in the day we fought for gas money in grimey hole-in-the-wall bars. If fighters don’t like what they are getting paid they need to go do something else!

JoeDecember 19, 2013

Go back under the bridge and sniff some more glue idiot

Jeremy WagleJuly 24, 2013

Fact of the matter is UFC is becoming watered down with the “grind it out” types, not the winning types. MMA is my passion, my love, and my privledge to be apart of, these foghters today have forgotten what loyalty is about!! Hell i dont believe any fighter in any sport should get a garauntee outside travel and medical….. firm believer that the winner gets the lion’s share!! In fact i am willing to fight anyone under a winner takes all stipulation, and Mr. Dana White you are the man anyone fortunate to fight for you is blessed!! To the rest quit cryin about money and start chanting for real and loyal fighters who fight because it is there love and passion, because I promise “Lion share” bouts will result in huge ppv revenue and return this sport to its former glory!!

JoeJuly 24, 2013

I sat with several MMA fighters waiting for their medicals less than a year ago in Atlantic City area. The were being paid between $500 and $700 for their debuts and they had to pay their own medicals which were $380!!!! That means they would gross $120 to $320 after which they would have to pay taxes on the net. That is a fact. I also had a pay-per-view Co-main train in my gym and he grossed $5,000 for his fight and recieved a broken leg. Obviously he signed a waiver before the match which precluded him for suing for damages. Boxers starting out make peanuts too but on average they make much more. The promoters in MMA are the big winners.

stablerAugust 1, 2013

What org were they fighting for???

UFC new fighters get 6K$ and 6K$ win bonus.Theres the KOTN,SOTN,FOTN…Undisclosed bonus (more than the pay check,most of the times).
Medic are all paid and they’ve got insurances.

Plus top fighters(main event,champs,contenders)all have PPV % (which is more than all the numbers combined).
Top fighters also make good sponsors $$$.
But its not the majority…
And they’re far fr being “well paid”.
But get your facts straight.

Also,MayWeather is the worst ex to take….He is his own promoter and hes the top boxer.

[...] ALL THE CREDIT FOR THIS LIST GO TO MMASENTINAL.COM [1] Did you know the worst bench warmer on the worst Women’s NBA team makes double what the average entry-level UFC fighter does? [...]

Monte CoxJuly 24, 2013

Currently, the entry pay for UFC is $8,000 + $8,000. If you fight well, you can get a non-disclosed bonus of $2,000-$5,000. Of course, there are also the $50,000 bonuses that are disclosed.

fuck you all joes a liarJuly 24, 2013

joe your lying…ufc is the only mma organization on regular ppv…and there minimum pay is from 8 12 16 thousand to show and double it to win. i have fought in all 3 organizations and continue to this day..i fight next week on fox … the only ppl who complain are the ppl who lose… when you win and win with style and awesomeness and the oh shit factor you get paid insane money behind the scenes from the ufc… i just made my re debut back in the ufc and made almost 300 grand after it was all said n done..they litteraly doubled what they paid me and the ko of the night bonus was lovely too so fuck all u haters…come to fight you’ll get paid

Que?July 25, 2013

So ur Robbie Lawler?… but Robbie Lawler never fought in Bellator, so whats the third organization?.. while I don’t think Bellator would have a better pay scale it seems that alot of fighters in most MMA organizations make lower amounts of money than they could be paidm, at least on paper..if thats just on paper great..I know for a fact guys don’t get paid much around here..

ptr2mmDecember 29, 2013

If a start up business
Sells no products or services
They dont get paid
Ufc fighters show up and deliver big..they get paid!

Jon Jones didnt smash a yugo in his early 20s….

Stop bitching, do work and money will come

cruzzerJuly 24, 2013

If you are complaining about how much money you make then you are not working hard enough.. – Dana White, UG meeting in Seattle on Friday December 7, 2012

Trevor WalldenJuly 24, 2013

The FACT is that UFC shows do HUGE numbers on pay per and they don’t share enough of that money with the fighters that participate in those shoes. The UFC (Dana) is being greedy…. not fair…why? same reason a dog licks his balls… because he can.

Fucking whiners !July 31, 2013

A LOT is left out of the discussion. Yes those who perform get the secret bonuses and noone who’s doing well is complaining !

What about all the other bills the UFC has to pay ? the fighters don’t pay to get medical attention, scans etc. There are a lot of other expenses running the show ! DO you have any idea how many people they employ ? offices around the world, and growing. Zuffa absolutely NEEDS to be profitable, for future security just in case, and more so to build the business around the world, as they are doing. Once established worldwide and secure as a sport, they won’t be spending so much on growing the business IN THE INTEREST OF FIGHTERS JOB SECURITY. Lorenzo and Dana are fucking top people.

Remember Shogun lost to Machida ? Dana handed him 250k on top of his pay, just because they felt the judges fucked him over. You see some fighters disclosed as 6k + 6k and they actually get given another 20k, happens all the time. Only people complaining are SHIT FIGHTERS who bring no fans to the sport. 100% fair if you ask me.

Ok…calm down everyone purses are split for MMA fights, and boxing fights. We don’t get paid a substantial amount for the fights, this is true, However, we do get more money from our sponsorships! Second off, we also do it because we love being in there and showing we are tough enough to take a beating and get up and show sportsmanship to our opponent that no other sport shows!

Dana white is a pimp. He makes hundreds of millions a year. Ufc is a trailer park sport. The boxers are starting to take it over now. The new mma fighters all box and always whip up on” ufc greats”. They’re not worth the big money. Boxing is a high end gentlemans sport. They respect the boxers as athletes not golden gooses like white does.